Delta project could lead to loss of farmland

Under Governor Jerry Brown’s proposal for two massive water tunnels, state contractors have begun planning for the unapproved project. The proposed water tunnels would restructure the San Joaquin Delta – the largest supply of water in the state – to deliver water to Southern California. Part of the initial plan involves setting up the criteria for over 300 farms to be taken via eminent domain.

Farmers, like Richard Elliot, whose family has farmed in the area since the 1860s, opposes this proposal. “It is wrong and premature that the Department of Water Resources has a unit creating a secret land and acquisition plan to take 150 year old farms, like ours, through condemnation,” Elliot explained. “Now it is going to be condemned for thirsty water agencies working with DWR. It does not make good policy sense to forsake prime Delta farmland with access to water and moderate weather conditions to a farm in a dry desert that is filled with salt and selenium in its soils and that is not sustainable. The entire plan doesn’t make for sustainable food policies, smart land use practices, or even common sense.”

The “identification of properties that may be within the project area is necessary…as DWR needs to estimate the proposed project’s potential impacts to those properties,” Department of Water Resources spokeswoman Nancy Vogel told The Associated Press.

Public water agencies across the state have paid for the property acquisition plan, which could potentially include valuable farmland. One water agency official said planning for right-of-way needs is one of the key parts of the normal planning process.

“Metropolitan [Water District] and other public agencies have invested nearly a quarter billion dollars in this process because California simply had no other plan to reliably deliver water to two-thirds of California and to restore the Delta…We applaud the bold leadership of Governor Brown in pursuing this necessary project,” Metropolitan Water District of Southern California general manager Jeffrey Kightlinger said. “A million hours of planning must result in a final plan that is good for the California economy and environment. Everyone loses with the continued status quo.”

Currently, the project is undergoing public comment through October, despite objection from contractors.

Should eminent domain be utilized, property owners would have 30 days to negotiate the sale of their property. While negotiation proceedings take place, officials are also preparing for the possibility that a landowner may decline to sell. At that point, the state could take the property through a forced sale.

The project’s $15 billion price tag becomes $60 billion once interest and operation costs are factored in. Construction is expected to begin in summer of 2016 and last 10 to 14 years.